Traffic signal near Coto de Caza where boy was killed to be installed next year

Coto de Caza residents will be greeted as soon as May 2024 by a new traffic signal just outside the gated community as they enter and leave — prompted by a collision that killed an eight-year-old boy at a troubled intersection who, authorities say, was struck by a pickup truck while in a crosswalk.

In December, Orange County supervisors voted to install the signal at Oso Parkway and Coto de Caza Drive, just outside one of Coto’s gates, following a community meeting and study by the county of the intersection, and the panel asked that it be put in as quickly as practical.

Engineers determined that some drivers hesitate to enter the intersection because they were confused about the right-of-way, while other motorists stopped in the middle of the intersection while waiting for pedestrians to cross.

The study was prompted by what happened on Sept. 1: Bradley Rofer was walking his bicycle across Coto de Caza Drive in a crosswalk about 7:25 a.m. when he was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup truck making a left turn from Oso Parkway, authorities said.

Days later, the boy, a student at nearby Wagon Wheel Elementary School, was taken off of life support.

“Anything that’s going to protect the intersection and protect the children — I’m all for it,” said Bradley’s mother, Josette Rofer, about the traffic signal.

The driver told investigators he did not see Bradley because the sun was in his eyes, according to the report, which also said it was unclear whether the driver had complied with a posted stop sign. The California Highway Patrol has recommended that prosecutors file charges against the driver for two misdemeanors: vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, and being an unlicensed driver, said Rafael Reynoso, a CHP officer and spokesman. It was unclear if a decision had been made on prosecution.

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According to the county’s report, two crossing guards were to assist students across the intersection from 7:15 to 8 a.m., but neither was there when the collision occurred.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department contracts a private vendor, All City Management Services, for crossing guards. The Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on why the guards weren’t at the intersection that day, and All City Management Services did not return a message seeking comment.

“After the incident, we initiated conversation with the vendor to reiterate that crossing guards are to be at the designated intersections during the times included in the contract,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement provided to the Southern California News Group. “We also reiterated the procedures that should take place when a crossing guard is not available.”

At that Sept. 13 community meeting, residents expressed concerns about vehicles rolling through the stop signs and drivers not respecting the right-of-way at the T-shaped intersection. Supervisor Katrina Foley and former Supervisor Lisa Bartlett attended the meeting and requested that the county’s public works division investigate the intersection. It did, with investigators finding that enough vehicles used the intersection to justify a traffic light.

For the five years ending in October 2022, there were five other reported accidents in that intersection, according to the report, none of them involving a fatality: Two involved drunk driving, one was the result of an unsafe lane change, a fourth was because of a vehicle hitting an object, and the fifth was blamed on a maneuver.

Denis Bilodeau, the manager of the Traffic and Development Support Division for OC Public Works, said the traffic-signal project was entering the design phase and looking at this point that the 18-month goal could be met. Supervisor Foley, who’s district includes the intersection, said it was important to make the improvement quickly.

“There’s a lot of high-speed traffic that is impactful to pedestrians, so the sooner we can slow down the cars and make the street safer for the residents, the better for the community overall,” Foley said. “The neighborhood has grown up in the past 20 years. More growth means more cars, so we need to slow everyone down.”

Source: Orange County Register